Mudoo - Chapter 36

Seula slung Kang Tae-shin over her shoulder and headed for the hotel connected to the basement of the convention center. He was as heavy as a damn boulder, and more than once, she nearly collapsed under his weight.

The front desk clerk gave her a suspicious look during check-in, but Seula quickly blurted out, “He just had a lot to drink…” before they could ask anything.

As soon as they entered the room, she dumped him on the large bed and panted for breath.

“What happened in the parking lot? What about the guy you chased after?”

Kang Tae-shin barely had his eyes open. He looked up at her with a loose, unfocused gaze, then reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her down onto the bed. She ended up lying face-to-face with him.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

His voice came out low and hoarse. Seula lifted her chin and showed him the red mark where Geumhwa had choked her.

“Here. Do you see any bruises?”

“Looks fine. What about the rest? Nothing hurts?”

She felt so damn frustrated—this guy was in way worse shape than her, but all he could think about was whether she was okay.

“Shouldn’t you be more worried about yourself right now? You’re a mess.”

Once he saw with his own eyes that she was alright, Tae-shin gave her a faint smile.

“Good thing you’re tougher than you look.”

They held each other’s gaze for a moment. It had been a long time since someone had worried about her so sincerely—without any hidden agenda or expecting something in return.

Tae-shin didn’t look away, didn’t change the subject, just lay there calmly. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable—it was warm.

“‘Tougher than I look’…”

Seula was the first to break the silence. She opened her mouth to say something, but didn’t know what. Tae-shin stepped in smoothly.

“Guess your height and weight are right on the chart. You eat well, you’re strong… and it’s cute.”

She didn’t want to get flustered over the word cute… but her face heated up anyway. She felt like diving under the covers and disappearing. She wanted to scold him for saying stuff that made her heart flutter, but deep down she knew—getting so worked up over one word? That was totally on her.

Instead of hiding under the blanket, she just lowered her head. But Tae-shin gently cupped her chin and lifted it, leaving her no escape.

“Why are you looking at me like that…?”

She mumbled as her eyes darted everywhere.

“How am I looking at you?”

“Kind of cheesy? Like you’ve got a past? Like… you’re way too much to handle?”

As she rattled off the adjectives, Tae-shin let out a low laugh. His eyes curved sweetly, and that made Seula smile too. She didn’t mean to, but whenever she made him laugh, it gave her a weird sense of pride.

“When you smile like that,” Tae-shin said, “it makes me feel… weird.”

“How do I smile?”

“Kinda shady? Like you’ve got something up your sleeve? Like your dark inner self is showing?”

He was throwing her own words right back at her, and it made one corner of her mouth twitch. Probably because—well, he wasn’t wrong. His teasing hit a bit too close to home.

Whenever Tae-shin let his guard down like this, her confidence—usually shaky—would rise for no reason. He was like a tree that wouldn’t budge no matter how many times you hit it with an axe, but at moments like this, it felt like even the smallest push might open him up.

They say you shouldn’t smile at guys you don’t like. Must be because of people like her—getting the wrong idea and falling too deep.

“Funny, isn’t it? I’m the one with secrets.”

Tae-shin’s gaze suddenly darkened as he looked at her. His eyes seemed to trace the shape of her lips, and Seula swallowed hard.

Were they always this close? Just like before, they were lying face to face, chatting away. But now the air felt charged with something else—something sharp and electric.

The soft smile playing on his lips slowly faded.

“If you knew how dark my secrets were… you might be shocked.”

“…”

“I’m talking ugly ugly. So bad it might scare you off.”

“…”

“And if I tried to kiss you in the middle of all that? That’d make me total trash, huh.”

Before she could even process what he was saying, his lips were on hers. A gentle pressure that made her part her lips slightly, letting his tongue slip in and explore her mouth, slow and deliberate.

He shifted on top of her, fingers intertwining with hers as he pinned her hands above her head and deepened the kiss.

Their tongues met, soft and searching. Her eyelids fluttered, her fingers curled, and a tiny moan slipped from her throat.

Then Tae-shin froze—just for a second—before pressing himself closer and slipping his tongue deeper.

He kept her wrists bound with one hand and used the other to stroke her cheek. His knuckles brushed over her flushed skin, then traced her lashes, her ear, and finally started rubbing her earlobe with the tips of his fingers.

Everywhere he touched burned hot. Even while kissing, she felt like she needed to be closer, to hold him tighter. So when his hand slid down her jaw and touched the nape of her neck, she gasped.

He opened his mouth, catching her breath before it could escape, then slowly let his lips wander lower.

“I’m gonna take this off.”

He whispered as he toyed with the button on her top. His lips at her neck tickled, and her toes curled.

Before she could stop him, the button popped open, revealing her bra underneath. His breath against her collarbone was calm, unhurried. He spread her top open and slipped his hand inside, gently cupping her chest.

“Ah…”

A moan escaped her lips, and Tae-shin paused. He swallowed hard, then sat up straight and looked down at her—disheveled and vulnerable. He loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and revealed lean muscles and sharply defined abs.

“Last chance. You want to slap me? I’ll let you—just once.”

Her eyes were flushed red, and she couldn’t hide the heat anymore. She crossed her legs under her skirt, trying to regain control, while he licked his lips slowly.

“If I slap you, you might cry.”

“Damn, you’ve got guts,” he smirked, lifting her hand and placing it on his cheek. He flattened her fingers, then made her slap him.

Smack.

The sound echoed in the room. Tae-shin’s head turned from the impact, and Seula’s eyes went wide.

“Wh-What the hell?!”

“I figured I’d feel less guilty this way.”

Before she could say anything, he twisted out of his shirt and tossed it aside. His firm chest and defined abs caught the light.

Then came the sound of a belt buckle, and the zipper sliding down. Seula squeezed her eyes shut.

“You slapped me. No backing out now.”

He traced a finger along her collarbone, then lifted her top off her shoulders with practiced ease.

“You’ve done this a lot, haven’t you?”

Even with her eyes closed, her voice was sharp.

Tae-shin leaned down and kissed her chest.

“What, did I gross you out? Think I’m a player? Too bad. You already hit me—I’m not stopping now.”

His soft hair brushed her skin like feathers.